Seal joint for sintering and gas-treating apparatus



` INVENTOR BaN-lune G. Kluqh.

' M/g? l E ATTORNEY SEAL JOINT FOR SINTERING AND GAS .'TREATING APPARATUS Sept. lg X923..

A Pamesa sept. 1s, 1923.

narran s'rATas BETHUNE G. KL'UGH, OF ANNISTON, ALABAMA.

SEAL JOINT FOR SINTERING AND GASfTREATING APPARATUS.

Application led November 26, 1920.I Serial No. 488,58?.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, BETHUNE G. KLUGH, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Anniston, in the county of Cal'- houn and State of Alabama. have invented certain new and useful vImprovements in Seal Joints -for Sintering and Gas-Treating Apparat-us, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to an improvement in means for sealing the joint betweenthe suction or wind box and the movable pallets or stock conveying elements of a sintering, roasting or gas treating apparatus, and has for its object to accomplish this purpose by the provision of an elongated close clearance water sealed joint.

It is a further object of my invention to avoid the provision of any loose mechanical parts, such as sealing bars, or the use of any sealing joints relying upon a close lnetal-tometal contact.

Heretofore in sealing the pallets of a continuous sintering machine in ltheir passage over the suction or wind box various means have been employed to prevent the leakage of air past the traveling joint between the pallets and the box. Where the allets are caused to slide with their full weig t on the box to seal it by a close metal-to-metal pint. the results are excessive wear of boti pallets "and box, and a lack of uniformity in the wear of different allets causin grooves to wear in same so tliatl they will ang on the dead plates at-the ends of the box and occasionally wreck the apparatus. Also it has been proposed to let the pallets continue to travel on their wheels or roller supports while floating or rigid metal contact membersare provided to so closely engage corelated parts on the box that the leakage of air through the joint would be sufficiently restricted. In practice, however` none ot' these appliances have proven entirely satisfactory because the loosely fitting seal bars will war or become loose and jam the mechanism, w ile the rigid Contact members give too great friction .or too reat clearances and cannot take care of di erences in size and expansion of the pallets.

According to m invention, the box and pallets are provi ed with co-related elements which form a continuous water sealed gland or joint, the clearance in which is suieiently close and elongated to resist the flow of water therethrough so eectually that water can be relied upon to edectively seal the joint against suction or air pressure according to the type of apparatus used, and yet I avoid the probability of any rigid contacts or friction which would render the apparatus impractical. As a preferred means 'for forming this sealing 'oint at the sides l provide the box and pal ets-with members forming a `il-sha ed sealing joint into which water is supplie as needed.

My invention further comprises the novel details ot the means for water sealing the clearance between the pallets and the dead plates at either end of the wind box to effectivelyseal at these points against the 1nflow of air. Obviously` my improved joint seal is applicable wherever a stock carrying element, lwhether tiltable, rotatable, or aving a continuous, intermittent or reciprocable traveh' is co-related with and movable rel.- atively to a fixed box for suction or wind in a machine for treating by gas any stock, such as ore' or the like. on said element.

Mv invention further comprises the` novel details of construction and arrangements of cross section over the dead plates to illusn trate the means for sealing at these points.

Fig. 2 is .a transverse cross sectional view taken on the line 2-.2 of Fig. l. Y

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional 'view through the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and c Fi 4 is a plan view of the top of the suction ox with the pallets omitted to the left, and showing rate bars in place to the right.

Similar re erence numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

As illustrated, l' show typically a continuous sntering machine of standard construction in so far as its pallets 1 and driving sprockets 2 is concerned. The several pallets are provided with abutting side flanges 3 and with grates 4 which receive and support the material to be sintered. The pallets are also provided with side bearing bosses 5 in which are journaled the axles for the supporting wheels 6. These wheels are adapted to travel upon the rails 7 which are suitably supported on the frame work 8 of the machine which supports the pallets in their travel over the suction box 9 or )lim lill() the sinterin none. This suction box is provided wit integral outwardly overhangv lng side flanges 10 which are supported on eye beams 11 forming part of the general supporting structure 8. The suction box 9 is connected by a passage 412 with any suitable suction mechanism, not shown. At each end of the suction box are dead plates 13 and the several pallets are each provided with transverse bottom bars 14 so disposed as to travel withmclose clearance above these dead plates as the pallets pass over them.

The construction as thus described is all substantially standard and in reality forms no part of my present invention which is concerned chieli with the provision of a practical and e cient meansv for sealin ]oints,between the pallets on the one han and the suction box and dead plates on the other, to prevent the undue admission of air to the suction box and thereby to increase the eiliciency of the down draft through the sinterin charge on the grates 4. As the simp est and most ecient means for sealing the clearance between the pallets and the side of the suction box, I propose to-.pro-

- vide the'iianges 10 ofthe .box on their top or the other sides of the faces with a continuous longitudinal channel or groove 15 extending from end to end of the box and in parallelism with the tracks 7 and also continuing in line across the dead plates 13, This oove or channel is preferabl of V-shape t ough this is not essential. o co-act with this channel or groove I provide the sintering pallets with sealing tonguesor li s16 which, if desired, may be formed as etachable and replaceable elements and which preferably are of V-,shape type so as to enter and form with the walls of their respective groove 15 a restricted elongated and tortuous passage to' which water is supplied by a manifold pipe 17 through branch pipes 18 which are closely associated throughout the length of the,

box and dead plates 'so as to sup ly water at short intervals for the entire llength of the sealing 'oints on each side of the pallets. It will be o rved that the pallets are supported by their wheels 6 with the sealin tongues lil-freer to have thev requisite latera play inthe grooves to prevent undue friction or biiidingl,l but regardless of the lateral displacement t ese tongues will engage one ooves or will stand centrally therein in a operatin positions; thus maintaining the requsite c arater of the sealing gland which my invention contemplates.

The means for sealing against the air leakage along the dead plates is illustrated more clearly in Fi 3 and consists in passa water manigold pipe 19 under each d plate near its end most remote from the suction box and leading a series of close- 1y associated .branch pipes 20 from these thevLausana manifolds 19 so as to introduce a sealing bod of liquid across the outer ends of the dea plates. This body ofliquid acts to seal the several joints provided between the bottom Vbars 14 andthe dead plates, each of the bottom bars serving to proportionately reduce the suctionull against the entering sheet of water an thus givin lthe effect of an elongated'close clearance. at su lus flows in over the dead plates or sides o the box is permitted to pass down into the suction box to cool the gases in accordance with the well established practice. Other types of close elongated water sealed joints may be provided within the scope of my invention and I do not wish to be considered as limiting same to the preferred type of tortuous gland shown.

It is obvious that myimproved sealing arrangement will be equally advantageous if applied to intermittent sinterin apcso paratus in which a removable tiltav le or,

rotatable grate bar and stock -carryingfelement is used in connection with a fixed wind box. In such cases the tortuous water' seal gland is formed by a tongue on the removable element, co-related with a groove on the fixed box, and it would function in the same manner of that hereinbefore describedfor the moving pallets over a ixed suction box. nMy invention therefore may be said to cover sealing the'jointbetween the grate or stock carrying element, and the fixed suction or wind b'ox of any sinterin apparatus, whether the allets be move continuously, intermittent y, or interruptedly in relation to thesuction box.

Moreover, it is immaterial whether the apparatus described be used for sintering, for roasting or other purposes involving the assage of gases through the interstices. of loosely held `stock on a lporous bed carrying member, co-related wit wind box member, thev actionof my herein 'described li uid seal in tortuous gland disosition will beothe same as thatl herein'- a fixed suction or v fore described. I therefore do not 'wish versely elongated joint, and means to supply liquid along said' joint to seal it.

In a continuous sintering machine coml prising moving pallets and a suct1on box,L

co-acting elements on the pallets and suction box adaptedfto form a' tortuous land;y and means to supply., liquid to 'seal sai gland.

3; In a continuous sintering mechanismL comprising a suction' box, en d dead plates and pallets' movable over the box and dead plates, means for sealing the joint between the pallets and suction box comprising coacting elements on the palletsA on the 'one hand and on the side walls of the suction box and dead plates on the other hand to form continuous transversely elongated close clearance joints extending from end to end of the suction box and pallets, and means to supply a. sealing liquid throughout said joints.

.4. A sea-ling means for a continuous sintering apparatus comprising a series of pallets having aligning sealing members at each side disposed parallel with their line of travel a suction box having marginal grooves adapted to receive with a loose running fit said sealing members on the pallets, means to introduce a sealing liquid to the joint surrounding said sealing members, and means to seal the joint between the pallets and the ends of the suction box.

, 5. In a continuous sintering machine, a suction box having dead plates at its ends, pallets having bottom transverse bars. adapted to travel with close clearance above the plates, means to 'introduce a sealing liquid transversely across the outer ends of said plates to seal the joints between the plates and bars, and means to seal the joints between the box and sides of the pallets.v

6. In a continuous sintering. machine, a

suction box, end dead plates, longitudinalA V-shaped channels extending along the sides of the suction box andacross the ends of 'the dead plates, water manifolds extending alongside said channels and across under the ends of the dead. plates, branch pipes to deliver water from said manifold pipes to said channels and to the dead plates across their outer ends, a series of pallets having aligning V-shaped tongues adapted to travel with a free fit through said channiels and to form therewith a tortuous sealing passage, and cross bottom bars on the pallets adapted to 'travel with a close clearance over the dead plates and to form a series of joints sealed by the water admitted across the ends of the dead plates.

7. In an apparatus for passage of gasses through a bed of material, comprising an element with porous stock supporting bottom and a suction box which are relatively movable, coacting elements on the box and stock support adapted to form a continuous joint therebetween, and means to supply liquid along said joint to seal same.

8. In a slntering apparatus comprising a movable pan with stock supporting grates and a suction box, co-acting element on the pan and suction box adapted to form a continuous gland, and means to supply liquid to seal said gland.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

BETHUNE G. KLUGH. 

